Always
by madefrommemories
Summary: Crossover written for Prompts in Panem AU week, Day 2. Peeta and Katniss in the Harry Potter Universe, with Peeta taking on the role of Severus Snape and Katniss replacing Lily Evans-Potter.


Peeta Mellark was hiding in a bush.

He wasn't there because he wanted to be, exactly. No one in their right minds would find this comfortable. There were branches poking him in the side, and roots sticking into his back. But it was safe. His mother would never come looking for him out here in the woods.

He and his mother had been helping out at his father's bakery this morning when it happened. Limited by the possibility of being seen by the muggle customers, she could not use magic when in the shop and it never failed to leave her in a foul mood. This day was no exception.

Peeta, on the other hand, was excited. He knew that his Hogwarts letter would be coming soon, and he couldn't wait to go off to school and start learning magic. The day that he had shown the first sign of possessing his mother's magical gift had been the only day that he could remember that she had been proud of him.

Distracted as he was that day, he had let the bread burn. His mother had flown into a blind rage when she saw the ruined loaves, and had even gone so far as to draw her wand on him. It was a good thing there were no customers in the shop at the time. His father, having no magic of his own, had luckily managed to wrest her wand bodily from her hand before she could curse her son. Peeta ran.

And somehow, he had found himself in the woods, hiding in this uncomfortable bush.

He heard the sound of feet crunching in the deadfall, and the voices of two girls. He peeked out from his hiding place and saw them; sisters he knew lived nearby. The older of the two, the dark haired one with the braid, was chasing the younger, blonde one. The blonde (Peeta guessed she must be about six) was giggling.

Suddenly the eldest sister turned and began to make her way nimbly up an enormous tree, moving from branch to branch as easily as a squirrel.

The blonde haired girl below shouted up, "Katniss come down!"

And Katniss stood on the branch, but she didn't come down, not right away. Instead, she opened her mouth and began to sing. Her voice was beautiful, so pure and sweet and strong, and it rang out through the trees. The woods fell silent as she sung and Peeta felt his heart wrench as he watched her.

She stopped, waiting expectantly. Her sister was also quiet below.

Then, the birds in the trees began to answer, the Mockingjays taking up her song and returning it to her. When they fell silent, the fair girl on the ground below cheered. Peeta had to stop himself from cheering along with her.

Katniss smiled impishly and bowed, then threw herself backward off the branch.

Peeta's heart leapt into his throat and her sister below screamed, but instead of falling, she floated, turning lazy somersaults in the air until she landed lightly and silently on her booted feet.

Her sister was upset. "You scared me, Katniss!"

"I'm sorry, Prim," she said, taking her little sister in her arms. "I'm fine, see?"

Prim looked up at her sister, admiration and envy shining in her big blue eyes. "How do you do that? I wish I could do all the things you can. The birds never answer when _I_ sing to them."

Katniss shrugged. "I don't know. I just can."

"I know why." Peeta said, climbing noisily out of his hiding spot.

Prim screamed, and Katniss thrust her behind her, protecting her with her body.

Peeta held out his hands in front of him, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"

Katniss watched him warily, and Prim peeked out from behind her. Suddenly Prim piped up, "I know you! You're the boy who lives down the road from us. The baker's son!"

Peeta nodded, smiling at her. "My name's Peeta Mellark."

Katniss scowled. "What are you doing here?"

"I was taking a nap." He didn't tell her he was hiding, or why. "Then I saw you and you started singing, and I couldn't help but watch." He smiled. "You have a beautiful voice."

If anything, her scowl deepened. "You said you knew how I can do these things?" She gestured back at the tree.

"Yes I do. You're a witch."

Prim gasped and covered her mouth, but Katniss took a step towards him, her hands coming up in angry fists. Behind her, a pinecone that lay on the ground exploded. Prim shrieked.

Peeta's hands came up again, "No, no, you don't understand! I wasn't trying to insult you. My mother's a witch too."

Katniss scoffed, looking even more offended. "Well, you didn't have to tell me that."

Peeta silently agreed with her. "No, I mean you can do magic! I'm a wizard; that's what they call the boys. The girls are witches."

Katniss was still eyeing him suspiciously but at least she had stopped her advance. Prim, on the other hand, stepped out from behind Katniss, her eyes shining. "It's magic, what she can do? That's wonderful! Can I do it too?"

Peeta's smile faded. He had never seen Prim do anything magical. "I'm sorry, Prim, I don't think so."

Tears sprang into Prim's eyes and without thinking, he kneeled quickly in front of her and took her hands. "But I've seen you do all sorts of other amazing things! You were so good with that hurt goat that your sister brought home! And I saw you do ten cartwheels in a row the other day. I bet Katniss can't do that!"

Prim smiled wetly at him. "She can't! I bet I can do twenty in a row now, do you want to see?"

Peeta laughed at her excitement and said "I would love that." And she was off, cartwheeling over and over again while Peeta cheered.

When Prim had finished her acrobatics and run off to pick flowers, Peeta turned to Katniss, laughing. She was smiling too, watching her sister. He knew from seeing her walking home from school that this smile was rare, and only given freely for her sister or in the woods where she was clearly happiest.

But just then, she had a smile for him too, and it made him feel warm inside as she looked at him.

"Tell me more about magic," she said eagerly.

The sorting ceremony went in alphabetical order, and Peeta held his breath when Professor Trinket called for "Everdeen, Katniss!" The hat sat on her head for a very short time before the rip in the brim opened wide and shouted "Gryffindor!" He clapped and cheered along with the Gryffindors, ignoring the stares of the other kids around him, knowing that if anyone was "Brave of Heart" it was Katniss.

But when "Mellark, Peeta!" was called, the hat placed him immediately into Hufflepuff. Numbly, he removed the hat and moved to take his place at the Hufflepuff table, looking miserably over at Katniss who was already engaged in conversation with a boy with the same dark hair and grey eyes as she had.

The next day they went for their first of many walks around the grounds. "That boy Gale from my House that I was talking to yesterday? He's been calling me Catnip ever since we met." She rolled her eyes. Peeta had laughed and she'd punched him on the arm. It only made him laugh harder, until she gave in grudgingly and laughed with him.

In their second year, Peeta was made Beater on the Hufflepuff House Quidditch Team. Katniss came to his games and cheered for him just as loudly as she did for the Gryffindor teams, but when Gryffindor won, (as they often did), it was to their common room she went to celebrate with her House-mates, including their handsome chaser and eventual Team Captain, Gale Hawthorne.

He tried to tell her that he loved her so many times. And so many times the words died on his lips.

As their school years flew by, Peeta watched her grow closer and closer to Gale. They often got into trouble together, breaking the school rules, disappearing into theForbiddenForestto try and catch a glimpse of the Centaur that lived there. By the time they were in their fifth year, they were together.

He couldn't compete, not really. They had so much in common and already spent so much time together. Gale was older and mysterious whereas he, Peeta, was an open book. But Gale was a good man, and he would take care of her.

And besides, he told himself, all that mattered was that she was happy.

He was _her_ best man at the wedding.

After she was married, Katniss Everdeen came to visit him at Hogwarts. No, not Everdeen, he corrected himself. She's Katniss Hawthorne now.

He was a professor at the school, teaching Potions. He loved it, the subtle art of combining ingredients to create something entirely new. It reminded him of his father's bakery, back home. The good parts, anyway. And beyond that, he loved the teaching.

That day, they walked on the grounds together, as they so often used to.

"I heard that Professor Abernathy's starting this group, called The Order of thePhoenix."

"Pretty, isn't it," Peeta said, smiling. "Old man's getting a bit poetic in his old age."

Katniss laughed. "He was probably drunk when he came up with the name." He felt her take his arm and a thrill ran through him, as it always did, at her touch. When he turned to face her, she was serious, the laugh gone.

"Peeta… Gale and I are going to join the Order."

So many thoughts rushed through him at once that he didn't know how to respond at first. His first feeling was jealousy, a knee-jerk reaction whenever she mentioned Gale. He had become so used to ignoring it that it was almost second nature, and he did so now. Once that was out of the way he was free to feel the rest.

Pride. Fear. _Love._

Pride that she would take on this cause and rise up to face The Dark Lord. Fear for her life, for the risks she would take in actively opposing him. And love, always love.

There was no surprise. The Katniss he knew would always fight for what she believed in. And it didn't matter that she wasn't his; he would follow her to the end of the earth, and do anything he could to protect her, anyway.

They had reached the gates of the grounds. Too soon, it was time to say goodbye.

"I'll join too," he said.

When she smiled it was as beautiful as the sun rising after a dark night, and it took his breath away. "I knew you would," she says in answer. "I could always depend on you." Then she stretched up and gave him a kiss, her soft lips lingering against his cheek.

Then she stepped outside the gates, turned on the spot and disapparated. He put a hand up to touch his face where he could almost feel the touch of her lips burning against his skin.

It was the last time he ever saw her.

Peeta was grading papers on antidotes for his fifth years when there was a knock at his office door. He waved his wand and the door swung open to admit Professor Haymitch Abernathy.

"Hey kid," Abernathy grumbled. "Want to join me for a drink down at the Hog? I've got an interview with some nutter by the name of Cresta, wants to apply to be Divination teacher."

Peeta cocked one blond eyebrow. "Wow Professor, I never would have taken you for a man who believes in Divination."

Abernathy glared at him. "Divination's real enough, there just aren't many true seers left in the world. Like as not this one's crazy, but her grandmother _was _a real seer, and a damned good one at that, so I thought I should give her a shot. But damned if I'm going to go all the way down to the village on a night like this and not have a goddamn drink. So. Hog's Head, in or out?"

Peeta put down his quill. "In," he said. He slung his cloak about his shoulders and the pair set off for the village.

The Hog's Head pub was quiet as usual, it's patrons crammed into shadowy nooks and well muffled. Peeta and Professor Abernathy took a seat at one of the tables in the corner and ordered a Firewhisky each. The harsh drink burned Peeta's throat on the way down but left a soothing heat in his limbs, still frozen from the cold walk down.

Once they had rubbed feeling back into their fingers, Peeta leaned over the table. "So, any news from the Order?" he said quietly.

Haymitch shrugged. "Same ol'. Snow's recruiting of course. Keep your head down, hopefully he won't come knocking. He tried to get Katniss."

Peeta felt a swooping in his stomach at her name, and then anger. "He tried to recruit her?"

Haymitch snorted. "Fat lot of good it did him. If anyone's going to defy him it's her. Between her and that husband of hers, they've got enough fire to melt a glacier. Had a bit of a fight on their hands but they escaped, as usual."

"She would never go over. Not with the stand he's taken on muggles and muggle borns." Peeta took another sip of the Firewhisky. "She's muggle born herself, and even more than that, her sister Prim's a muggle and she loves her more than anything else in the world."

"Yeah I know," Haymitch said with a nod. "We've got the sister under protection, in case Snow decides he needs some… leverage."

"Good," Peeta said, pushing down a wave of anger at the thought of Snow laying a hand on sweet, innocent Prim.

"How is our girl, anyway?" asked Abernathy. "Katniss."

It was Peeta's turn to shrug. "Busy, I guess. Her son was just born last July, I'm sure you heard. Looks just like her from the photos."

Haymitch raised an eyebrow. "You haven't seen him?"

Peeta looked down at the table, rubbing at a wet spot on the wood. "We haven't been in touch much since we both joined the Order. The odd letter here and there." A wry smile touched his lips and he said "You keep us pretty busy, old man."

The door swung open and a woman swept in with a fresh gust of cold air. Peeta shivered and Haymitch groaned.

"Well there's the nutcase herself," he muttered. He turned from the table and went up to the woman, shaking her hand. At a gesture from Abernathy, the barkeep came out from behind the bar to show the woman to her room and he followed to get his interview over with.

Haymitch had barely disappeared from view when Peeta hear a voice behind him mutter, _"Imperio!"_

His mind went completely, blissfully, blank.

He felt himself rise from his chair and follow Abernathy up the stairs. His body bent, seemingly of its own accord and pressed his ear to the door. He heard the woman's voice change and take on a strange harsh tone, and then she was speaking words that his befuddled mind did not care to remember.

But something in him remembered because only moments later he was disapparating from the street in front of the pub and presenting himself to Coriolanus Snow.

There was a strange man with him. Hmm. He hadn't noticed.

The man said "I put the curse on him, just like you asked, Master."

Snow smiled, his lips too full over too white teeth. "Well done, Seneca." Snow turned to Peeta and the snakelike eyes met Peeta's blue, guileless ones. "And what did you hear, Mellark?"

Peeta's mouth opened and someone said in his voice, but slow and dreamy, "The woman made a Prophecy, my Lord. She said that a boy born at the end of July is coming who would have the power to defeat you. She said that he would be born to parents who have thrice defied you."

Snow surveyed him with his cold eyes. "And you believe this to be a true prophecy."

"Yes my Lord. Without a doubt."

Snow turned to the other man- Seneca. He smiled, but there was no warmth in it. It was cold and ruthless- deadly.

"That settles it. There is only one family that meets your description and I know it well. I will leave now. Gale and Katniss Hawthorne's son must die."

_Katniss…._

Her name was the only thing that penetrated the fog in Peeta's mind. He awoke with a start, a prisoner inside his own mind, and realized with horror what Snow meant to do.

"NO!" he roared, breaking loose from the bonds of the Imperius Curse and drawing his wand in one swift movement.

Snow was gone, disapparated, before Peeta could attack. The other man who Snow had called Seneca, had drawn his wand at Peeta's exclamation and attempted to re-cast the Imperius Curse, but Peeta was too fast. He cast a shield charm, then shouted "_Stupefy_!" and his opponent fell to the ground, stunned.

Peeta didn't even wait to make sure his spell hit its mark. He disapparated-

-And reappeared on the street outside Katniss' house. He was running, he could hear her shrill scream, he was calling her name-

Then an explosion rocked the house, blowing him backward onto the pavement and everything dissolved in blood and pain and fire.

Haymitch Abernathy surveyed the broken husk of a man that slumped in the chair before him. Normally so composed, so poised, Peeta Mellark looked as though he was on death's doorstep.

"How did it happen?" Peeta asked, not bothering to lift his head from the desk top.

Abernathy took a swig from the flask that he kept tucked inside the pocket of his robes. He wished the kid would hurry up and get this over with so he could drink himself into oblivion and forget that Katniss was dead. He had arrived, too late, at Godric's Hollow, to find Peeta unconscious on the ground and theHawthorne's house destroyed.

"Snow." He said gruffly. "After you… after he found out about the prophecy, he went to their house and killed her and Gale. The _Avada Kedavra_. Somehow the curse rebounded, causing the explosion. Snow's gone, who knows where." He paused for a moment, then said mercifully, "It was quick."

Peeta's hands clutched at his hair and an inhuman sound came out of his mouth, like that of a dying animal.

When he had recovered enough that he could speak, he said, "It's my fault, Haymitch. I did this."

"No, Peeta," the other answered with uncharacteristic gentleness. He reached forward and placed his hand on Peeta's. "You were imperiused. It's not your fault. Nothing you could have done."

"I wish I could believe that."

He coughed, eyeing Peeta's hands, clenched into claws in his own hair as if he were about to pull it out at the roots. "You really still love her? After all these years of her screwing thatHawthornekid?"

Peeta's head shot up off the desk, his irises shockingly blue against the redness surrounding them, and glassy with a sheen of ever-present tears.

"You're mocking me?" He asked hoarsely. "The woman I love is dead and you decide now would be a good time to remind me that she married and had a child with someone else? As if that matters. As if anything matters, now. All that mattered was that she was alive and happy and now…" his words cut off in a choked sob.

Abernathy let out a short bark of a laugh. "Kid, if I was mocking you, you'd know it."

Anger flared in Peeta's eyes and he was on his feet in a heartbeat, wand in hand. Haymitch's grip on his own wand tightened involuntarily, but that wasn't Peeta's intent.

He raised his wand to the ceiling and shouted "_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!"

From the tip of his wand sprouted a bird that spread its wings and circled the room, coming to rest on the desk before them both before disappearing.

Haymitch felt pain sear through his chest as he stared at the spot where the silvery Mockingjay had landed. For a moment they were all in the woods with Katniss, watching as she sang into the trees in that sweet voice of hers, and the Mockingjays going quiet to listen, and then, moments later, answering. Her smile, so rarely given, but so beautiful when it was, would spring to her lips. The grey eyes would close as she listened to the beautiful melody that the birds returned to her. Yes, he had loved her too, in his own way.

He looked back into Peeta's eyes and saw unimaginable pain reflected there. He looked away quickly.

"You asked me if I still loved her?" he heard Peeta say. "I have loved her my entire life. And I will love her, _always_."

He sunk back into the chair, his strength expended. His put his head in his hands. "Why didn't she run, Haymitch? Why did she have to die?" he wailed in anguish.

"You know why," Abernathy answered. "She died protecting her son."

"Her son….."

"Yes. I pulled him out of the wreckage; he's safe at his aunt Prim's now."

"How did he survive?" Peeta asked, his face white.

Abernathy shrugged. "I have my theories. All of them pretty damned unlikely, though. But you know what you have to do now, right? Snow will be back and when he is, you can bet that Katniss' kid is going to be at the top of his hit list."

Peeta dropped his hands and stood, his wand clutched tightly in his fist. The sudden change in him was terrifying. "Yes I know what I have to do." His blue eyes were hard and cold like chips of ice, and Haymitch saw an anger and conviction there that he had never seen before.

"While I live, Snow won't be able to touch him. Whatever it is that he's meant to do, I'll help him, and Snow will die. For her. For Katniss."

He turned to leave, his robes swirling in his wake. Haymitch was left alone, staring at the empty chair before him. He let out one shuddering sob and passed a hand over his eyes before downing the rest of the liquor in his flask and following Peeta from the room.


End file.
